Characterization of simplified nonapeptides with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities as potential food preservatives, and their antibacterial mechanism.

Zhanyi Yang, Yingxin Wei, Wanpeng Wu, Licong Zhang, Jiajun Wang, Anshan Shan

Food & function 2023 Apr 03

filter terms:

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted attention in the field of food preservatives due to their favorable biosafety and potential antimicrobial activity. However, high synthetic cost, systemic toxicity, a narrow antimicrobial spectrum, and poor antimicrobial activity become the main bottlenecks for their practical applications. To address these questions, a set of derived nonapeptides were designed based on a previously discovered ultra-short peptide sequence template (RXRXRXRXL-NH2) and screened to identify an optimal peptide-based food preservative with excellent antimicrobial properties. Among these nonapeptides, the designed peptides 3IW (RIRIRIRWL-NH2) and W2IW (RWRIRIRWL-NH2) presented a membrane-disruptive and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation mechanism to execute potent and rapid broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity without observed cytotoxicity. Moreover, they exhibited favorable antimicrobial stability regardless of high ionic strength, heat, and excessive acid-base conditions, retaining potent antimicrobial effects for chicken meat preservation. Collectively, their ultra-short sequence length and potent broad-spectrum antimicrobial capacity may be beneficial for the further development of green and safe peptide-based food preservatives.

Citation

Zhanyi Yang, Yingxin Wei, Wanpeng Wu, Licong Zhang, Jiajun Wang, Anshan Shan. Characterization of simplified nonapeptides with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities as potential food preservatives, and their antibacterial mechanism. Food & function. 2023 Apr 03;14(7):3139-3154